Lucky Winner of Our Home PackageMy Favorite Spots in Our HomeMy New Nephew Kason!Our Dancing Elf Card and LINK to Create oneMerry Christmas Everyone!I loved reading all of the entries for our Home Prize Package and I was surprised to see how many different spots people picked in their homes. There were kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, family rooms, patios and craft rooms listed and yes, craft room were a popular choice. Several people share their creative place with other family members and others just love to have their own little space to be free to create.

I tried to pick a favorite spot in my home and I decided, like many others, I have multiple favorites. I took some photos I thought I would share. No, I didn't take a photo of my 'craft room - office. It's way too shabby-messy at the moment!

I’ve been collecting old things since I was a young girl. My bought my first antique (a carnival glass bowl) when I was 10 years old and traded to my mom for a stereo. My favorite thing still is to go to rummage sales and flea markets!

I really love our bedroom as well. I wanted it to be cosy and pretty with little twinkling lights. A friend helped us paint and Scott put old Arbutus branches above the windows, so I could wind cream sheer curtains and mini lights. It looks so pretty at night when you turn on the twinkle lights!We found this old icebox in the first house we bought over 25 years ago and I painted it because it use to be bright yellow. It actually has lots of storage. I transfered the fairy images onto fabric to make the pictures above the icebox. I have an old gold velvet chair (just out of view) that rocks and swivels that I got for $6.00 and I found the old wood hope chest at the foot of the bed a neighbor was tossing out for free when we were walking the Otis.

If I can only pick only one room it would be our kitchen. Some of my favorite memories have been made here. We’ve shared lots of great food, love and laughter at our kitchen table. This photo was taken last Christmas morning. We do a big family brunch every year.

I also love our family room in this house because it's such a part of the kitchen. I can cook and talk to everyone if they are in the family room. I love this area also because it's so bright and sunny. We closed all the blinds to take photos here at the baby shower we threw for my sister-in-law Nikki. I'm so happy to say my brother Russ and Nikki just had their first baby! This baby has been been a long awaited miracle!

Here is a photo of my darling nephew Kason! He is so adorable and sweet and look at all that hair! He has made Christmas shopping really fun because they now have such cute BOY STUFF!

The reason I first grabbed my camera today was to take some photos of this crazy snow storm we've had. This is the most snow I can ever remember having - ever - and I'm almost 51. It's been so cold and it's still snowing!Here is Otis on our back deck and it's snowed 10" more inches at least since then!

Lastly, here is a link to our crazy Redburn Christmas card! I turned us all into dancing elves.

From my family to yours, I want to wish you all a Christmas full of love, joy and happy memories with your loved ones.

PS - Don't forget, we are still running our special (until Dec 31) that if you place an order on Shopatron for over $25.00 you will receive a free small stamp set of your choice! Just put the name of the stamp set in the comments box, or email it to:info@craftysecrets.com

Most importantly, to all of you that don't need to shop online, please support our retail store owners (see our store locator link below) and for inspiring ideas check out all the fantasticsamples our Design Team have created! Our website is ancient and needs an overhaul badly - but I found out we have over 1000 subscribers to this blog and over 10,780 (as of last week) to our newsletter!

Hot New Stamp Set Release!Get a Free Sm. Stamp Set on Orders $25.00+Links to Our Free Patterns and Images

Enter to WIN Our Home Prize Pack!

Our New Stamp Set Release!We’ve released a NEW Large Clear Art Stamp set called Home Sweet Home. Scroll down to see all the fabulous samples our design team has created with this pretty art deco style set. The cottage style houses and detailed flower gardens on this set are so much fun to color, or you can simply stamp the designs paired with the heartfelt words and sentiments in tone on tone colors to create beautiful nostalgic designs. You can see more details on this card and another created by DT memberMichele Kovack Here on her blog.

This set is available to order now on ourShopatron site andwith ANY order over $25.00 from now until Dec. 30/08 we will be sending 1 FREE small Clear Art Stamp set of your choice!You can either tell us what set you would like in the little message box when you place your order, or email your us your order # and the name of the small stamp set you would like sent with it to:info@craftysecrets.comWe will try and get all orders sent by priority mail tomorrow but we can't promise they will arrive for Christmas with the crazy snow conditions!

These are the free Small Stamp Sets you can choose from with any order over $25.00. If we don’t hear from you, we will choose a small stamp set to send you. Please note - 1 per customer. You cansee and read about each set HERE.

If you happen to be a retailer and you are getting this newsletter, please send us an email and also sign up for our Retailers Only Newsletter! If you place a wholesale order by Dec 30/08 you can pick 2 free small stamp sets!

I adore all 3 cards thatVivian Peterscreated and love that she added Stickles to the centers of her flowers, Crystal Effects to some of her windows and created such depth with all her colors. You have tosee Vivian's other cards HERE on her blog and get the details. The papers are from our Earthy Paper Pad.Look at this pretty heart wall hanging that DT member Heidi Blankenship made. You will be able to see more details and info soonHERE on Heidi's blog. It's funny because some of the design team colored the area behind the tree green (see cards below) and others did it blue as a lake. I love that it will work either way. The floral paper is from our Radiant Paper Pad.DT member Pam Hooten created this pretty little card using the Home Sweet Home set and machine stitching paper from our Earthy Paper Pad. She also added lots of other cool little embellish details you can read about and seeHERE on Pam's blog.I love this little ATC card that Marisa Grossonfrom our DT created using our Home Sweet Home set colored with Copic markers. I like the way she embossed the large key stamp here and made the image pop and look so cheery!I love the 3D effect DT member Lisa Zappa created using a fun product on this card calledFlowerSoft you can see here. The diamond paper is from our Radiant Paper Pad. You can see more photos and details HERE on Lisa's blog.

I know Vicki Chrisman is going to be posting some samples using the Home Sweet Home set, but for now check out thesecute shawdow boxes and CD 'cookie' envelope she has posted.

I thought I would post the links here in case you have missed any of our free printable templates or vintage images. Our graphic artist Cindy van Koll not only created all of these patterns, she also spends countless hours working on each and every one of our Clear Art Stamps and Heartwarming Vintage images. We always welcome your suggestions and feedback.

Pammy is hosting a challange over at Splitcoast to create something using 3 B's. Robin joined in and used our Mini Pyramid Box template (see link here above) that has vintage sheet music. You can get all the details of the challangeHEREand see theGallery HERE!

Enter to Win a Free Family Gift Pack!

Just post a comment here on this blog and tell me what your favorite place in your home is? The inside, outside, the kitchen, bedroom, what part of your home do you love the most? Don't forget to check back or leave an email to reach you if you are the random winner!

A random winner will be drawn and announced on Christmas Eve and win these items:

I got carried away last night and added too many things to my blog post below and this pattern would not enlarge and print full size. So, here it is and you can see the samples and get the details HERE or if you scroll to my previous post below on the blog.

You can click this pattern on to enlarge it and save it in a picture file to use to create fun little Christmas ornaments or tiny gift boxes. You can print it on regular weight plain paper or colored cardstock. Cindy created the pattern and included the fold lines to make it easy to cut, fold and glue the square bottom flap. They would also make cute decorations for your Christmas table and you could add name cards. Scroll down orCLICK HEREto see some samples we made with this pattern and check out all the other great Christmas samples I found!

This is our free little December gift to you in a printable box pattern with vintage sheet music. CLICK HEREto download this free pattern.as I added so many photos to this post the pattern won't enlarge, so I've posted itHERE on the blog.You can print it on regular weight plain paper or colored cardstock. Cindy created the pattern and included the fold lines to make it easy to cut, fold and glue the square bottom flap. They would also make cute decorations for your Christmas table and you could add name cards. Scroll down to see some samples we made and check out all the other great Christmas samples I found!

These were quick samples Cindy and I whipped up using a combination of ourVintage Christmas stickers and images.UPDATE: (Vintage Christmas Stickers are sold out. Please see our other Christmas items here) For the red one in the back, I cut images from our Christmas Image & Journal Notes Booklet using the little triangle shape Cindy included on the pattern.

It's really hard to see the glitter with the camera flash but the Stickles really dresses them up. I also added some bells to this one below. If you want to stamp on your box, simply print the pattern on a piece of cardstock and cut it out to use as a template on plain paper that you can stamp on. We hope you have fun with this pattern and if you create any cool little ornaments or boxes we would love to see them! You can email any samples to:info@craftysecrets.com

I was hunting around looking for some fun Christmas projects and found some great ideas from our fabulous design team ladies! Instead of a triangle box, this is a triangle cone created by Linda Duke (a past DT member) last year and I had to show it again as it's sooo pretty! Linda used paper from ourEarthy Paper Pad UPDATE;(the Earth paper pad is sold out. Please see our digital papers here.)and the image is from our Heartwarming VintageSeasonal Booklet.You can see more close up samples of Linda's coneHEREand some of the other beautiful samples she created!

This little Christmas 'take out box' that DT member Michele Kovack made is adorable and a create way to package Christmas baking or you can see what Michele created HERE to turn it into a cute and handy gift! Michele used the bird and ornament stamps from ourChristmas Joy set.

Lisa Zappa, DT member and Shabby Chic goddess is on a mission to decorate her entire tree with old bingo cards she alters! She has now enlisted the help of a friend and I can hardly wait to see her tree finished! You can see more samples on her blog HERE. I love the ones she decorated using ourChristmas Joy Stamp set!

Vicki Chrisman from our design team created this Christmas House last year using our Sweetchips folding house for a kit for Scrappy Gourmetand they made up more for this year!the kit comes with all the papers and spots for family photos on the inside.

I also found this adorable Christmas keepsake Vicki made last year of her nephew using one of the 2 wood pieces from our Wood Clipboard Album, paper from our Earthy Paper Pad, Christmas Stickers, trims and a plastic candy cane she found.

DT member, Pam Hooten, made these cute Christmas trees last year using some of our papers. I love the design and think they would make great table decorations! Pam gives a complete supply list and great instructions with all the measurementsHERE on her blog.

Finally, I have to tell you about a fun challenge that Darlene Pavlick is hosting this week over at Splitcoaststampers.com. You can use any of your favorite Crafty Secrets Products to create a sample to post in the gallery and share with others. Look at this fabulous card Darlene created with our Vintage Christmas stamps and paper from our Earthy Paper Pad. Others will start postingsamples HEREand you canget all the details HERE .

I hope some of you reading this will get inspired and pull out your favorite Crafty Secrets goodies and join in the fun! You can see the entire Crafty Secrets Splitcoast Gallery HERE and there are so many fantastic cards and keepsakes it makes me feel so happy and proud! Thanks to all of you that have posted in the past!!!

I had to laugh because Darlene said it was an 'easy peasy card' and some people posted comments saying it didn't look easy and must have taken a long time and they loved the way she over stamped. She did use 4 stamps but this paper has a collage design all over it (done in brown), so it was easier than it looks.

We are working on LOTS of NEW STAMP SETS, plus we have started on 4 New Image & Journal Notes Booklets! The NEW Stamps that will debut at the CHA Show in January include 6 Large sets, 6 Medium and at least 4 Small Sets!We are going to bereleasing one early on December 19thand it's calledHome Sweet Home.This a large set and includes some great art deco houses and a mix of wonderful sentiments and words. I'm sooo excited with how beautiful it out!

You have to come back on Dec 19th and see some wonderful samples from some of our design team ladies! Hmm.. don't you think I should post a give away for a Home Sweet Home set then as well? Yep!

On a closing Note, It's been so busy around here lately. There is so much to do and not enough time in a day. We've celebrated lots of birthdays between family and friends during the last 2 weeks, so it's been non stop work, birthday parties, Christmas parties, Christmas shopping and decorating. We also had a baby shower, as my brother and his wife are due to have their first baby - a boy any day! Our office is in my house, so it can get really crazy here this time of year but I feel so blessed and happy! It's my best friends birthday, so we had her and her daughter over for dinner. We watched Prison Break and Hero's and ate gooey dessert. Later our daughters helped us finish decorating the tree, my honey cleaned up the kitchen. Life is good!

I took this photo of the tree before we finished decorating, hence all the mess.

I love this little nativity set we bought in Mexico years ago. One of my favorite things about Christmas is seeing all the decorations again. We've collected decorations over the last 30 years with each holiday and each child, so they start to take on real sentimental value. Scott's mom saved many ornaments and decorations from his childhood, so those ones are valuable antiques - LOL!

DT Christmas ChallengeOur design team ladies are all participating in a little challenge hosted by our DT leader Vicki Chrisman to create something using any of our Christmas theme products! Come check out all their fabulous samples by clicking on the links here to their blogs (which will start Dec 1 at 9 am central time)

I’m thrilled to announce that Amber Tosh is our guest designer this month! Amber is a talented scrapbooker and paper crafter who is also on the design team for the wonderful Melissa Frances!

Here is a photo of Amber and her Bio

My name is Amber Tosh and I am living the country life in Nova Scotia with my husband Ray and our five amazing children. I was introduced to scrapbooking about 6 years ago, but have branched out into other paper crafts as well over the past couple of years and am loving it! I have a fondness for all things vintage and I’ve had a ton of fun playing with these beautiful and versatile products from Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Collection!

Look at this adorable Christmas decoration Amber created using the little Santa paper doll boy from ourImage & Journal Booklet titled 'Little Dolls'.She cut the little boy and tree out and created a backdrop with papers from ourEarthy Paper Pad. I love the way she fan folded the red & white paper and created the arch.

Amber whipped up this Christmas tag using an image from ourChristmas Vintage Image & Journal Noteson a white tag she punched. The little red button and white twill tie in with the paper perfectly.

On these next two projects Amber got creative and recycled. First, she used an empty jar to created a little candle holder. She wrapped the jar in frayed fabric with an image she stitched on from ourWinter Homespun Cotton Scraps.

This little mint tin is so cute painted blue and distressed with a bit of sanding. Amber decorated the inside lid with the birdy image cut from our Winter Homespun Cotton Scraps.she glued on some Spanish moss and a little bird to finish it off.

Amber created this sweet layout of her daughter peeking in a Christmas present using papers from ourClassic Paper Padand the ornaments are a sheet from our HIJ 08 Christmas Image & Journal Notes Booklet. The stamp over the trees is from our SL07 Frame It Stamp set and 'MAGIC' is stamped using ourSM 14 Top Hat Alphabet stamp set. I will be sharing more samples from Amber and some other Christmas ideas this Friday.

Four $26.00 Give-Aways!We are giving away four $25.00 gift certificates this Friday, so put your name in NOW for the random draw and a chance to win! You can spend it on any of our products and we will pay the shipping! Spend it on yourself or use it to buy Christmas presents.

Just leave a commentHEREon the blog and tell us what you love about Christmas to win one of the 4 gift certificates.